drake



(No Model.)

B. RTIN & T. P. DRAKE.

CLOTH ARING 0R GROPPING MAUHINE.

No. 450,028. Patented Apr. 7,1891

UNITED STATES EDlVIN MARTIN AND THOMAS FRED. DRAKE, OF IIUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNORS TO MARTIN SONS & CO., OF SAME PLACE.

CLOTH SHEARlNG OR CROPPING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,028, dated April '7, 1891.

Application filed July 18,1889. Serial No. 317,934- (No model.) Patented in England February 12, 1885, No. 1,931.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN MARTIN and THOMAS FRED. DRAKE, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Lindley, Huddersfield, in the county of Yorkshire, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth Shearing or Cropping Machines, (for which we have received Letters Patent in England, No. 1,931, dated February 12, 1885;) and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon which form a part of this specification.

This invention has reference to shearing or cropping machines employed in finishing cloth, and in which is employed a spiral knived roller rotating over a stationary bed,

across which the cloth traverses.

In practice it has been found that-when a knot or other hard substance is at the back of or underneath the cloth the face of the cloth is caused to stand up or be more prominent than the other parts thereof. Consequently the rotary cutter shears ofi more than is desirable and sometimes cuts a hole through the -fabric.

The present invention consists in a yielding surface or cushion provided at that part where the rotary cutter acts upon the fabric, so that when any knot or hard substance is underneath the fabric the pressure of the cutter shall cause the knot or hard substance to sink or be depressed into the elastic or yielding cushion, so as to avoid the damages heretofore experienced and hereinbefore mentioned.

The invention will be hereinafter particularly described andthen claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of ashearing-machine or jerry with parts in section and with our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the stationary bed with the invention applied th ereto, the parts beingon an enlarged scale.

In the drawings, the letter A designates the frame of the machine 5 B, rods or bars for guiding the traveling fabric C to the stationary bed D and imparting tension to the fabric.

E, F, and G are guide-rolls; H, an intermediate roll, and I a knived roller, which rotates at a high speed for the purpose of shearing the upper surface of the cloth.

The parts so far described are old and well known in construction and operation and not of our invention, except in the construction of the bed, as hereinafter given and so not described more in detail.

The invention may be applied in different ways, one manner being to apply a piece of india-rubberJ, preferablya tubing, byplacing it at the apex and lengthwise of the bed D,so that when knots or other enlargements are at the back of the cloth the pressure of the retary cutter will be such as to cause the said knots or enlargements to sink into the indiarubber bed and so avoid damage to the cloth, which would happen if the bed were hard and unyielding.

It is preferred to form a groove 1) in the apex of the stationary bed and to lay the clastic cushion in that recess or groove, as shown in Fig. 1 and also on an enlarged scale 'in Fig. 2; but still we do not confine ourselves to such construction of either cushion or seat therefor, as the groove may be omitted, and any other suitable material to compose the cushion or yielding hearing may be employed, and so may the form of the cushion be changed.

It will be understood that while we have described and shown what we consider to be the best form and material for the cushion or elastic bearing, still we do not mean to restrict ourselves thereto.

It will be observed that by bringing the cloth directly against the elastic bearing and arranging the rotary cutter so that it will strike the 'cloth directly over the elastic bearing the bearing will not only yield, but the knot or hard substance will be pressed or embedded in the bearing. If there were a hard bearing-surface between the cloth and the elastic bearing, the action and result would not be the same as when the cloth is brought directly against the surface of the elastic bearing, as in the former case there would be a mere yielding of the bearing-surface without depressing or sinking the knot or hard substance on the cloth into the elastic bearing, and

as a consequence the knives would be liable to out the cloth where the knots appear. The elastic bearing in such cases serves only to hold or press the cloth up against the cutters; but in our construction and arrangement the elasticity serves not only to hold up the cloth and to yield to the pressure of the knives, but also allows the knots or hard substances to be pressed or embedded into the elastic bearing when the knives press the same, and thus the cloth is sheared without cutting a hole in the cloth, and the cloth at all other points throughout its width is at the same time sheared or cropped. The elasticity of the bearing also causes the depressed portion to be immediately restored when the knot is relieved from the pressure of the knives and without jarring or disturbing the surface of the cloth at other points, as would be the case if there were a rigid plate or surface placed between the cloth and the elastic bearing. An advantage possessed by the cylindrical cushion or round tube or roll is that being round it is free to slip or turn upon its axis Within the groove 1) in its bed more or less when undue pressure occurs from the cutters meeting a knot or hard substance in the cloth, and in that way the bearing is rendered more yielding, and thus the liability to cut the cloth that much further lessened. This construction also permits the cushion to be turned or moved on its seat transversely to its lengththat is, around its axis-and thus the bearing point or surface may be shifted as desurface.

pressed air or a fluid,which is attendant with serious disadvantages in practice.

' Having described our invention and set forth its merits, what We claim is- In a shearing or cropping machine, the combination, with a suitable bed and a cutter, of a cylindrical elastic or yielding cushion formed of material that will permit a knot or hard substance in cloth to be depressed or embedded in its surface and possessing in itself resiliency sufficient to resume its normal condition when pressure thereon is relieved, said cushion resting on said bed so as to be free to move transversely to its length to shift its bearing-surface, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN MARTIN. THOMAS FRED. DRAKE. Witnesses:

0. WV. WHITMAN, U.Z fidUon-sumr Agent at H addersfield, Eng- THOMAS S. SIMPsoN, Solicitor, Huddersfield, England. 

